0:00Episode 3932, stand firm on God's holy ground. Mom's, it's time to rediscover, rejuvenate, and renew who you are in mind, body, and spirit. Welcome to Create Your Now, Your Best Selfie, the show that help you do just that. Here's your host, Certified Life Coach, personal trainer, and nutritionist, Kristian Wargo. Happy every day. I hope you're having a fabulous weekend. Enjoying some great football, can you believe it? All the playoffs, you've got the CFP happening out of the college football playoffs. What team are you rooting for? Well, today, I really don't want you to think about football. In fact, I want you to think about what God has on your heart. Stand firm on God's holy ground. For those of you who are brand new to Create Your Now, welcome to this incredible family. I'm so delighted of your presence. If you already even had the opportunity, you want to head on over to CreatureNow.com where you can learn more and find out for the kisses newsletter that keep its simple strategy, everyday solutions, to live, love, and impact.

1:03You know, walking in step with God is never a passive journey, especially when the world around you seems determined to pull you off course, jealousy, deceit, even manipulation. They are real weapons, some wield to fracture your spirit and cloud your vision. Maybe you've had that happen with friends, family, even, maybe at work. When hearts turn bitter and minds play cruel games, it's easy to get trapped inside a warped reality that feels impossible to escape. So how do you hold your ground in these moments? How do you fight the spiritual battle without losing your soul? Stand firm on God's holy ground. Because you must begin to recognize the battlefield beyond the visible, only what you can see, and then understand that the conflict isn't just earthly, it's spiritual. And I believe that's really where we fall short. Is it we think that all these battles we're dealing with are from the earthly

2:06perspective and we forget to look at it through a heavenly perspective? Ephesians 6, 12, for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. You know, when people lash out driven by jealousy or their own brokenness, because of what they don't know, they're often unwitting instruments of a deeper darkness. Your fight isn't against them personally, but against the evil trying to undermine your faith and purpose. So stop trying to make it all about what you think it is here on earth, instead of cleaning to God's truth, not their lies. And I know it's tempting to absorb every whisper, every shadow of doubt they cast on your character or calling. Maybe you've been in situations recently where you just have everything, but the kitchen sink being thrown at you, and at times you feel like it's the kitchen sink too.

3:08But if you sit here and only make it about what you see, you'll miss the greater calling. What you need to do in your walk with faith. Because you know, it's one of those things where if you hear things enough, right, that's the cassette player, the CD player, the DVD, the Spotify account, whatever it is that you keep replaying over and over and over and over and over and over again. And eventually it becomes your story. And it becomes that underlying through line in your life that says, this is what people say about you. And you begin to believe it. You begin to have these weird conversations in your head, but I'm here to remind you of Jesus' word in John 832. You will know the truth and the truth will set you free. The truth isn't shaped by gossip, in view, or manipulation. The truth is rooted in God's word

4:11and your identity as his child. Not on what someone else thinks about you, what they say about you, what they try to prove against you. Because when the world distorts reality, anchor yourself in scripture. It's what God knows. Let God fight your battles. Now I'm not saying that you shouldn't use resources. You shouldn't be smart about it here on earth. Yes, you need to be. But you also need to be on your knees. Remember little David, five little stones went in the sling and the sling went around and around. Remember that little David. You know, David's story shows us how to respond when it comes to how we're to live our life when the world around us is telling us something differently and trying to make us out to be someone we're not. Saul's jealousy reached dangerous heights, didn't it? He hunted David relentlessly, though David was innocent and chosen by God to be king. And David didn't retaliate with bitterness or deceit. Instead, he trusted God,

5:17avoided unnecessary conflict and waited for God's timing. And let me say this when you're waiting for God's timing. That doesn't mean you're doing nothing. That means you're praying. That means you're making some decisions that you can make. You are following and discerning what God has in store for you. But you're not doing it from a place of bitterness and deceit. David's heart remained pure through prayer and reliance on God's justice, not man's. Stand firm on God's holy ground, not the one you're trying to create. You've got to guard your heart. But I want to tell you don't harden it. It's easy to do. It's easy to get wrapped up and begin saying four letter words and yelling out things. And then pretty soon you have lost control. But you know what? We're called by the fruit of the spirit to have self control. Proverbs 4 verse 23 says above all else, guard your heart for everything you do flows from it. Protecting your spirit means you don't absorb or reflect the toxic attitudes

6:24around you. Yet guarding doesn't mean closing off. It doesn't mean saying, nah, I'm just going to ignore this. No. It means staying tender to God's leading while discerning who and what you let influence your mindset. What are you allowing to get in the nooks and crannies of your mind? Because that's what you put on repeat. It's the little things that grow the weeds. What do weeds do? It suffocates all the blooms in the garden. Don't let that happen to your heart, my friend. You know when Jesus faced false accusations in betrayal, he didn't respond with violence or bitterness. He showed grace and kept his mission clear. That doesn't mean you tolerate abuse or manipulation. No, of course not. You've got to take action as to what is appropriate, but you also have to maintain your own integrity and compassion even when attacked. Don't lose who you are and who you're becoming. Pray for those who seek to

7:29derail you. That's your power move. That's how you stand firm on God's holy ground, not the ground that you're trying to create. Because let me tell you, if you're trying to create an earthquake, fight with weapons God gives you. Let him shake things up. Let me tell you, he does a much better job than we do. Paul instructs us in Ephesians 6 to take up the full armor of God, truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and the word of God. These aren't just niceties, metaphorical niceties. Like, oh, this is what you think you should do and you just kind of gloss over them. No. They're your spiritual tools for standing firm. When your environment is hostile, saturate yourself in prayer. Let scripture fall over you and allow yourself to be in the fellowship of believers who reinforce your faith. That helps you be held accountable and also for them

8:33to say, we're with you. We're praying with you. James 4 verse 7 says, submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. You got to resist deception and discouragement by submitting fully to God's guidance. It's not about saying, oh, I got all this under control and submit to yourself. No. You're trying to create your own holy ground. Remember that spiritual battles are one in moments of surrender. Not struggle. Remember your identity and God's purpose, right? Who's you are and where God has you going? The pain inflicted by others can make you question your worth or mission. Maybe you felt that recently. Maybe this new year, you've got a heavier heart. You tried to escape it and you did for a little bit, but now all of a sudden it's pie in the face, but that pie in the face is more like 10 elephants coming at you.

9:37Let me tell you this, my friend. God's plan is bigger than 10 elephants being thrown at you. It's bigger than their interference. Jeremiah 29-11, for I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Hold on to that promise and when you do, it'll give perspective beyond the current storm that you're in. It's not easy. You're going to feel defeated at times. Welcome to the real world. Here at Creature, now I never said life was going to be easy and guess what? Neither did God. In this world, you will have trouble but take heart. I have overcome the world. God has overcome the world. He sent a son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for our sins, that we may have eternal life, not through our doing, not through who we think we are,

10:37not through our own strength, but through his son, Jesus Christ. Stand firm on God's holy ground and when you walk with him, you walk as a conqueror, not a victim. So don't let the jealousy and confusion around you steal your momentum or your peace this new year. Stand firm by anchoring deeply in God's word, guarding your heart without bitterness and wielding his armor daily. The spiritual battle, yeah, it's tough and often it's invisible. But your victory is assured when you refuse to be derailed by people's faults and choose God's path instead. Now I'm not saying it's going to turn out the way you think it should be. But God works all things out for good for those who love him, who follow him, who trust him, walk by faith, not by sight. You are not alone in the spite. God goes before you. His light pierces

11:43the darkest schemes. So even though maybe you're sitting in darkness right now, let the light in, magnify God's light, not your own, keep walking, keep trusting, keep your faith, walk by faith, not by sight, but have your heart and eyes on God. Oh, my friend, that is how you win. Go in peace, be present, be incredible, be you. I love you so very much, I cannot wait to see you on the other side, blessing tellings and lots and lots of love. We'll talk to you real soon, have a glorious blessed week. Bye-bye.